Casting Spells

If there is a spirit unwelcome in a home then it has no business being there, whether or not it's intent is good, bad etc. It is true some ghosts are mindless, perhaps even just echoes of what was but it isn't always the case. If it is making anyone uncomfortable, then it needs to go.

I'll put it this way, if you can't be firm on a resident then what about an unwelcome guest? Some things can't be left to be the 'elephant in the room' especially if they cause disruption.

True but they've had their time and it is unfair and very unfitting for the dead to disturb the living when it is unnecessary. Plus, most of these spirits who disrupt things in a negative way care very little for the living residents and thus must be 'removed' to restore balance.

... as someone who's been (clinically) dead three times now, let me assure you, there is no such thing as 'having your time'.

However, it's largly moot as even excorcisms do not seem to have a long lasting effect beyond a certain point. And, ironically, it's typically the most disruptive spirits that are the least effected.

As I said, at times it's like trying to excorcize your house of bathtubs or windows. They're attached to the place in ways you are not, to the point that in very real sense they're a part of the structure.

However, it's largly moot as even excorcisms do not seem to have a long lasting effect beyond a certain point. And, ironically, it's typically the most disruptive spirits that are the least effected.

As I said, at times it's like trying to excorcize your house of bathtubs or windows. They're attached to the place in ways you are not, to the point that in very real sense they're a part of the structure.

Exorcisms have always worked for me and I believe the only exorcisms that haven't gone successfully have been linked to that of demons or parasitic spirits who have a firm grasp on their victim. Most spirits get flushed out and very irritably move on.

As for ghosts being like furniture- what if they have no links to the house? Spirits can be picked up anywhere, pop up anywhere and have no known logical reason for 'why' at times. Whilst a ghost who treads the boards at night and is fondly known as 'Betty' by the last generation might be accepted, if something completely out of the blue starts happening and is causing disruption, why should it be accepted? It's like keeping a stray cat when you have no want of it.

Now unless you are a ghost I can't see why you would take offence to people putting their foots down in their own homes and saying 'enough is enough' and asking the spirit to move on. My perspective is low tolerance and 'nipping it in the bud'. Isn't to say my relationship with the spirit world is at all negative but I believe things should only be in my house if welcome.

Exorcisms have always worked for me and I believe the only exorcisms that haven't gone successfully have been linked to that of demons or parasitic spirits who have a firm grasp on their victim. Most spirits get flushed out and very irritably move on.

As for ghosts being like furniture- what if they have no links to the house? Spirits can be picked up anywhere, pop up anywhere and have no known logical reason for 'why' at times. Whilst a ghost who treads the boards at night and is fondly known as 'Betty' by the last generation might be accepted, if something completely out of the blue starts happening and is causing disruption, why should it be accepted? It's like keeping a stray cat when you have no want of it.

Now unless you are a ghost I can't see why you would take offence to people putting their foots down in their own homes and saying 'enough is enough' and asking the spirit to move on. My perspective is low tolerance and 'nipping it in the bud'. Isn't to say my relationship with the spirit world is at all negative but I believe things should only be in my house if welcome.

... the only case I can think of that I've worked where a 'new' house (where neither the house nor the property had any sort of 'history') was suddenly haunted was that the family of the deceased previous owner was forced to sell it to someone the deceased had hated with a burning passion in life. The bathroom where the previous owner had died became something of an epicenter of a haunting, which cumulated with the new owners being driven out and selling the house after the toilet and sink 'exploded'.

The next owners had no problems.

The two locations I've been on hand for an excorcism resulted in a brief repreive at best. The first lasted two weeks, the second for a little over a year. Of course, mind you, the first was a field hospital on the Gettysburg Battlefield, and the second was a house where the entire family was murdered, with the three childern ritually sacrificed in the master bedroom.

(and surprisingly, I looked it up and it was a matter of record. The Pennsylvania State Police have it as an unsolved Cold Case)

Interestingly the spirit is said to be mischeivious, and from the description it sounds more like Poltergeist activity, which is normally linked to the spirits of children.

If you cannot find a local occultist to perform a cleansing, then try your local CAtholic Priest. The Catholic Church have full time 'Ghost Busters' and most priests are happy to come and do a simple house blessing, which they find very often moves on the problem if it's just 'a shout for help'.

Having experienced one of these blessings for the very same reason, long before I became involved with the Craft or with house clearances, I was shocked to find that the C of E Church wouldn't touch the clearing with a barge pole. They did however, pass me over to the Catholic Church in Westminster, who sent a blind priest round instantly I told them my address.

The rather humourous ending to this story, was that the blind priest, performed the blessing, but whilst doing so had to throw holy water into each room in the flat. Being blind he couldn't see the rooms, and at one point was throwing it across the living room and down the back of the TV. I watched in horror and had to make the decision.

1. Did I yell stop, and risk being stuck with George as I now called him for evermore?

2. Try and explain to my insurance company that my colour TV blew up after a blind priest threw holy water down the back of it, whilst exorcising my poltergeist?

I went for the later, but just lied about the reasoning... I couldn't face the screams of hysterical laughter down the phone.

In my opinion, its all down to how much you believe that the spell being cast or ritual performed is going to work rarther than burning candles, chanting and waving wands around, this view is one shared by quite a few "solo" practitioners. Marian Green is a good source of craft "solo" info.

However, the use of ritual items/clothing/words for some people will help them focus and reinforce their belief that what they are doing is going to work, especially if you are in a group as it will help all the members focus their intent on the ritual/spell.

In a lot of religious traditions the use of magical implements and correct wording of the incantations are very important as they are used to keep the practitioner safe from nasty outside sources such as deamons and the like.

At the end of the day it's whatever works for you on a personal level.

I don't think it's so much as words keep you safe from Demons, it's more a case of being careful what you wish for, you might just get it.

By carefully working on the wording, you are ensuring you don't leave room for misinterpretation, but the preparation maynot be needed in the final spell once you've worked out in your own head what you want, and what pitfalls to avoid.

For instance: If you do a love spell to attract love (corney I know, but people do), and don't make it specific in that you are looking for someone you can have a long, meaningful and heppy relationship with, a partner of which ever sex..... you might find you get followed by every stray puppy in town for months....

or

A healing spell: if you don't take the request into the future for the person, then they could get a little better for one day, worsten and even die- but the spell still worked, you got what you asked for, they got better (for one day).... so you need to be specific in your intent.

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The moor - site of the last battle on British soil -has its share of ghostly traditions, perhaps befitting for the scene of so much bloodshed and slaughter. The Battle of Culloden - April 16th 1746 - marked the fall of the Jacobite rebellion of 1745, which sought to restore the Stuart monarchy to the throne. Read More »